Royal VKB is the latest brand of Dutch company Koninklijke Van Kempen & Begeer, founded in 1789, which focuses on innovation. Here are some of their latest products. You will notice that Jorre van Ast has found a producer for his great 'Jar Tops' that we were showing on the blog in February.
The 'Passami il sale' project, developed as a result of the partnership between Serafino Zani and the German designer Konstantin Grcic, has been extended with the addition of the 'Al Dente' pieces.
After the series of trays and containers in laser-cut steel, presented in 2007, the project is now focusing on the kitchen, with a series of pots, saucepans and frying pans in stainless steel. The additions brought to the classic form of the pot is the inclined profile of the handles and their large dimensions, designed for a safer grip and a lid housed within the body of the pot, and thus closing much more securely.
This line will be presented at the Ambiente Frankfurter Messe from February 8 to 12 2008.
Ed Annink, from design agency Ontwerpwerk, has designed a line of kitchenware for Jamie Oliver. These products will be introduced at the Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt from February 8 to 12.
The line consists of bowls in different sizes, a colander, storage boxes, sealable measuring cups, cutting boards, a salt and pepper mill, knives and a knife set. The products have been manufactured in a variety of materials. The main material is melamine, a synthetic resin. The colander and the mixing bowls have a matte exterior; the inside of these products has a high gloss finish. The cutting boards and the knife set are made either of bamboo or polyethylene. The knives are manufactured in stainless steel with a tactile rubber (polyurethane) handle. The measuring cups and the storage boxes are made of clear san (a mix of polystyrene and acrylic).
An iconic round Ping-Pong table for offices and homes.
The original Walking-Chair. Before chairs started to walk, men have been walking on the moon....
A 4-piece set, half cutlery »best silver«, half tool »best chrome vanadium«. A must-have for every well equipped garage and dining-room.
Walking-Chair is an Austrian design studio, a gallery, and a product platform founded by designers Karl Emilio Pircher and Fidel Peugeot in 2002 in the bubbling heart of Vienna. They were later joined by architect Sylvia Sauermann, and businessman Heinz Boesch.
French designers from Normalstudio are presenting their products at Salon Now!
'Paysages' - Ligne Roset - 2008 Issued from a research initiated by the CRAFT (Limoges), "Paysages" is a dinnerware set of 7 pieces. This collection is developed and distributed by Ligne Roset and Revol porcelaine.
Adaptor/Lamp in Corian - Forum Diffusion, Paris - 2004 It is a block that you can place on a table, the wire is rolled around its base. One can place a Corian socket as one wishes.
Maison & Objet (Now! Design à Vivre) Paris-Nord Villepinte January 25 - 29 2008
The Kaj Franck Design Prize 2007 has been awarded to ceramic artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä (born 1947).
The recipient of the Kaj Franck Design Prize was announced on December 13 2007 at Design Forum in Helsinki. Kati Tuominen-Niittylä began working at the Arabia factory in 1980. Her minimalist and timeless language of form appears in numerous serially manufactured products and one-off works. One of Arabia’s most recent success stories is the KoKo series of products, a result of Tuominen-Niittylä's and Kristina Riska’s creative cooperation. Prior to the Kaj Franck Design Prize of 2007 Kati Tuominen-Niittylä has received the Grand Prix, Honourable Mention and the Gold Medal in the Mino Ceramics Competition in Japan. She is a charter member of the Arabia Art Department Society (established in November 2003). The main idea of the new society is to maintain and continue the cultural heritage of the Art Department, which was originally established in 1932.
The Kaj Franck Design Prize has become a distinction highly valued by design professionals, the media and the general public. It is awarded according to the decision of a special prize jury. The jury noted that during her long time career Kati Tuominen-Niittylä has created versatile ceramic art and design involving interplay, from unique archaic art objects to playful modern serial products such as the KoKo series.
Prototypes, 1984
Storybirds, 1993 Oy Arabia Ab
Gluck pitchers, 1993 Oy Iittala Ab
Koko tableware service, 2005 Oy Iittala Ab (with Kristina Riska)
Pot from the series Iron Age, 2004
Pot from the series Iron Age, 2004
Kaj Franck Prize was established in 1992 to honour the legacy of Finnish designer Kaj Franck (1911–89). He was, in his capacity as a designer and artistic director in industry (Arabia and the Nuutajärven glassworks) and as a teacher at the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. Franck was the "conscience of Finnish design". Functionality and compatibility were the underlying concepts of his streamlined utility articles. His best-known designs are Teema dishes (Arabia) and Kartio glassware (Iittala), which have become classics of modern design. His several awards included a Gold Medal (1951), the Diplome d'honneur (1954) and the Grand Prix (1957) at the Milan Triennials, and he also received the Compasso d'Oro (1957), the Lunning Award and the Finnish State Design Prize, among other distinctions.
Exhibition: The Kaj Franck Design Prize 2007 – Kati Tuominen-Niittylä from December 14 2007 to January 14 2008 Design Forum Finland, Space1 Erottajankatu 7, Helsinki, Finland
It's been a while since we last showed you a student project. In this festive season, with big receptions to be held, here is the creation of Sandra Groll, student at the German "Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe". In my opinion, she did not plan to serve soup for Xmas. :-)